Labour Party - presentation工党表示

starteractivityThe‘RedFlag’isthetraditionalanthemoftheLabourmovement.ListentothesongandwatchthishistoryofthedevelopmentoftheLabourPartyintheUK.WhatwerekeyreasonswhytheLabourPartygrewinpopularityandachievedelectoralsuccess?Electoralreforminthenineteenthcenturymeantthatmoreandmoreworkingclassmenwerewinningtherighttovote.Thisencouragedpartiestotailortheirpoliciestowardstheneedsofthesenewvoters.ThebreakthroughcamewhenKeirHardie(above)aformerminer,becamethefirstworkingclassMPtobeelectedfortheIndependentLabourParty(ILP)in1892.Tobeginwiththefewsocialistgroupsthatexistedenjoyedlittlesuccess.In1900,70%ofmenandnowomenhadtherighttovote.Realsocialistshadlittlechanceofbeingelected.Tomakemattersworse,onlythosewithaprivateincomecouldaffordtobecomeMPsastheywerepaidrelativelylittle.However,thetradeunionmovementwasgrowinginnumbers.By1900,severalmillionworkershadjoinedunionsandtheTUC(TradesUnionCongress–thenationalbodyforalltradesunions)hadbeenformed.EmployerstriedtolimitthepoweroftheLabourmovement.WhenworkersattheTaffValerailwaywentonin1901striketheiremployerssuccessfullysuedthem.Itseemedasifbelongingtoaunionandprotestingforbetterconditionswasbeingmadeacrimebytheestablishment.Intheend,theTaffValecaselentfurtherstrengthtotheLabourmovement.ItgavethemaclearissuetocampaignonandmembershipofsocialistpartiesliketheLabourRepresentationCommittee(LRC)grewinnumbersTheLRCwasrenamedtheLabourPartywithKeirHardieastheirleader.Theywon29seatsinthe1906generalelectionBy1924,just21yearsafterthefirst2MPswereelectedtheLabourPartywereinapositiontoformagovernment,albeitaminorityonewhichreliedonLiberalsupportforsurvival.AtitsheadwasthefirstLabourPMandsonofadomesticservant–RamsayMcDonald.TheLabourPartywonitsfirstmajorityin1945,beatingChurchill’sConservatives.Theycametopoweronaticketofreform,promisingtointroducetheNHSandsocialwelfareforasocietyrecoveringfromtheeffectsofWorldWarTwo.ClementAttlee(LabourPM,1945-51)Between1945and1979theLabourandConservativePartieswereeachinpowerfor17years.Inaneraof‘consensus’politicsthereoftenwasverylittleclearpoliticalgroundbetweenthepartiesonkeyissuesofeducation,healthandhousing.HaroldWilson(LabourPM,1964-70&1974-6)JimCallaghan(LabourPM,1976-9)ThesuccessofMargaretThatcher’sConservativePartyinthe1980ssentLabourintoatailspinastheystruggledtoidentifypoliciesthatwouldwinelectoralsupport.Theirpoliciesonnucleardisarmamentandareturntonationalisationwereoutofstepwiththetimes.NeilKinnock(leader1983-92)begantheprocessofmodernisingtheparty.ReducingthedominanceoftradeunionsoverPartypolicydecisionsandcreatingamoreopenanddemocraticstructureforthepartyThemodernisationoftheLabourPartywascompletedwithTonyBlair’sNewLabourproject(leader1994-2007)andhis‘ThirdWay’approachtopolitics,combiningthebestelementsofThatcheritefreemarketeconomicswithacontinuedcommitmenttosocialjusticeYourtaskCreateatimelinehighlightingthechangingfortunesoftheLabourPartyfromitsoriginstothepresentday.KeirHardiebecomesfirstworking-classMPtobeelectedin1892LabourlosetoMargaretThatcher’sConservativesin1979generalelectionKeyeventsEarlyC20th-LabourPartyemergedfromLabourRepresentationCommittee(LRC),IndependentLabourParty(ILP)&Fabianshelpedbygrowthoftradeunionmovement1906LabourPartyfounded1918-39LabourPartyformed2minoritygovernments1945LabourwonalandslidevictoryunderClementAttleeKeyevents1945-79wastheeraof‘consensuspolitics’1980sthepartymovedtotheleft&itseemedoutoftouchwiththeelectorate1983-92NeilKinnock(leaderofLabourParty)modernisedparty,abandoningunpopularpolicies,e.g.wide-scalenationalisation,unilateraldisarmament,withdrawalfromEEC)Keyevents1994-2007TonyBlairmodernisedparty-‘NewLabour’,‘ThirdWay’,‘handupratherthanhand-out’,public-privatepartnerships,equalityofopportunitynotincomeANDALSO–minimumwage,NHS,constitutionalreform1997landslidevictory,43.2%(179seatmajority)2005GEvictory35%(66seatmajority)Whatdowemeanbytheterms‘Old’and‘NewLabour’?ReadtheextractyourteachergivesyouandhighlightevidenceofOldorNewLabourvaluesThishousebelievesthatNewLabourisnolongerasocialistparty.DiscussPlenaryWhatismeantby‘Old’and‘NewLabour’TowhatextentcouldyoudescribethecurrentLabourPartyasa‘socialist’party?ExtensiontaskVisittheLabourwebsiteandresearchthecurrentpoliciesofNewLabouronHealth,EducationandLaw&OrderHomeworkAsyoudidfortheLabourPartycreateatimelinedetailingkeyevents,individualsandpoliciesinthedevelopmentoftheConservativePartyfromitsoriginstothepresentday.UseWatts,p.83-7BurkeCameron